Where are you located? Is a big issue when choosing good beer and also the style, there are so many options. 

Just some recent ones I've had the past week or two, that are fairly easy drinkers

Kaiju - kaiju krush... is a tropical pale that is fantastic to smash on a summer day.

Woolshed - summer ale is a ripping kolsch style beer that i found quite enjoyable 

Stone - go to i.p.a is a good option for something a little hoppier whilst still sinking a 6er...

Moondog - beer can
Brewdog - dead pony

The big thing this Sumner for craft is the mid strength summer can.... though they vary in abv they are a beer that's got flavour but you could sit in the sun and have a dozen no worries.

So many options!

Live in Adelaide

Is this thread for beer only or at least mostly? Haven't read all of it but the last few pages suggest it.

Curious on the forum's thoughts on Mountain Goat as a craft brewery and as an ethical purchase.

By this I mean supporting local breweries. I try my best to buy Aussie beers and I'm conflicted when it comes to Mountain Goat and their foreign ownership, as for whatever reason I still consider them local and don't want to begrudge them their success.

I don't know too much about the takeover, i think the original owners still run everything but they are just financially backed by kirin, they've even hung shit on kirin by producing a beer with japanese labels.
(I personally think their core rang of beers is fairly average, but was excellent 7-8 years ago when they really took off)

As another point, brewdog (scotland) are inmensely independent and they made a collaborative beer with ballast point (california) a few years ago but then ballast point sold out to one of the big brewers (inbev or whatev) and since then have been hanging shit on them with beer release and media reports.

I guess if you don't want to get mountain goat cause of kirin, theres probably 40 brewers in victoria that are better and more independent.

I know there's a heap of breweries I can support without much problem that are independently owned, although most of my beer drinking is at pubs and in pints so I'm usually limited to Coopers. I'm mostly curious about the forum perception on local vs. multinational ownership and how or if it influences purchasing decisions.

There aren't many breweries that are both large and independent. With the exception of Coopers, it seems that once they reach a mainstream audience the big companies come in to buy, and I do wonder if there is a compromise available for someone like me who wants to support the smaller players, but doesn't want to punish a brewery that capitalises on success (selling out).

I see there being a distinction between the Asahi takeover of Mountain Goat where they own it but nothing else seems to have changed, compared to say Matilda Bay that was bought out and doesn't seem to have much of a connection to their history and is just another option from the main players with a different label on the front (IMO).

I guess you've got to look into each case on its own merits.  
Matilda Bay was a pioneer but they sold out years ago, even though after that they started brewing fat yak which was a breakthrough beer in australian craft beer. The issue with fat yak, they changed the recipe around 4-5 years. It was the last remnants of matilda bay being a craft brewer and turning into just another beer made at basically any brewery in Australia.

Mountain goat is still run daily by the original guys and they still put out things that may not appeal to the masses.

Im not really an expert on the ethics, i steer clear of the supermarket beers (steamrail etc) and the sneaky ones like yenda which is a huge cover, looks everything like a small brewer but its owned by coca cola.

However I'm a hypocrit as i love ballast point but they've been bought out and basically all control was relinquished but they are pumping out great beers.

Youve really just got to do your homework and decide based on ethics v flavour but you will almost always find the independent ones will be far better quality.

After having Australia's lowest per capita per head of craft breweries, Tasmania now has more craft breweries per capita head than anywhere else in Oz.

In Hobart, many within walking distance off each other, we now have Fox Friday, Shambles, Captain Bligh, T Bone, The Winston, Hobart Brewing Company, Devil's Brewery, Moo Brew, Last Rites, Spotty  Dog and Double Head. They exist  in a city of only 200 000!

I've had visitors from Byron Bay in the last few days. They've drunk a lot of their local brewery Stone and Wood's Pacific Ale and Jasper Ale. These are two pretty decent beers that are a reference point for many reading this.

The BB visitors been blown out by the quality of local beer from most of these Hobart breweries.

I've had many mates taste Moo Brew's Single Hop in the last few days. 

When I initially tasted it I thought it was mediocre. It has really grown on me. In the 15 or so tasters I've been with  over Christmas the reaction has been they like it or they don't . It has a strong citrus flavour.

I'd contend that it is a far better beer than you've rated it so far and that it doesn't agree with your subjective  taste buds. Drinkers who've grown up on European beers, American craft beers and various other Aussie beers have often been blown out by it. Others really don't like it.

The points of reference I have with you are Exit, Fortitude and Stone and Wood, all breweries which I like. Many who've drunk these beers prefer Moo Brew's Single Hop to any beer produced by any of these breweries. Single Hop may have improved since you last tried it.

Many local brewers, competing  with each other for flavour, are constantly fine tuning what they produce. Almost every week there are new beers which are raising the bar in Tassie. For example my two favourite pale ales a year ago, have been blown out of the water by many new ones, constantly evolving, in just a year.

Currently my  favourites are Last Rites' Pale  Ale,  Morrison's Pale Ale, Hobart Brewing Company Double IPA and Shambles Double IPA.

Fair enough and thanks for the reply.

The sneaky faux boutique labels are an absolute pain in the arse

Someone posted wanting to know about  other alcohol than beer.

I'll give a run down of Tassie pinot noirs when I have more time.

This is a grape where there are only four ideal places to grow it in the world  - France, NZ, Oregon and Tassie.

I don't understand what you mean by blown out by it? Id just say that there are better options if your going for a single hop/single malt. And don't get me wrong when i say it is mediocre, this is in regard to craft beer not to beer entirely, id rather drink it to any megaswill. It just didn't challenge me. 
I've had 400+ new beers this year and it would be in my bottom 100.

I also don't doubt tassie brewers are doing well but we just don't get them on the mainland very often, and trust me if i can get down that's next year i will be drinking alot of it. 
I just did our quick run to dubbo and had to drink absolute garbage, luckily i took stuff from home for when we weren't at the pub!

How much beer to you drink a week, Scubaroo?

What do you weigh?

I walk for an hour a day and do a further hour in  the gym to negate the beer effect. LOL!

I only have one beer a night Sunday to thursday and probably average a dozen over saturday and Sunday combined. I try to use untappd to log beers but ALWAYS forget (not tech savvy)... but i have them all logged in books for a rating or if i need to try again. Normally will try most things at least twice... unless its related to blue moon...agh!

When it comes to expensive beers myself and friends will share beers (they are generally larger than standard beer).

This year has definitely been my biggest beer count though, on count of family and friends travelling overseas. 

As for my weight... im definitely over weight, i can't do strenuous excercise due to my trigeminal neuralgia but i do about 12km walking on my days off (weather permitting) and up to 20km when working. So that helps but not the same.  Its been tough since giving up football 3 years ago. 

That's not true. Some places in Victoria, around Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Valley, make amazing Pinot Noir.

Didnt Prancing Pony win an award for best in the world (in the uk I think)?

Yeah... i think it was a red ipa... they do some great brews.

Clown Shoes Crunkle Sam, Mass. USA. As described has a toffee dried fruit hops taste. 11% , very smooth you can't tell it is so strong by the taste but has a very big kick.

Also tried this one too. Same company 8% ipa. Nice flavor

I haven't tasted any good Victorian  pinot noirs yet.

However, some of them have done quite well in national comps. They should be good.

For the wine drinkers here, it is amazing what a difference decanting makes.

That is, pour a wine into a decanter for an hour before drinking it. 

I received this tip from  a few mates who've done wine tasting courses. One can test the difference by having two identical bottles of wine, decanting one, whilst not the other. There is a significant difference in taste.

As a gauge have you tasted Sierrra Nevada's Pale Ale and IPA?

If you have, how do these others compare?

For a stronger ipa I think it is better than Sierra Nervada Torpedo. I still prefer Lagunitas Maximus though.

Wow!

I think the Sierra Nevadas are fabulous.

I will look out for Lagunitas Maximus.

That clowns shoes is a belgian style so it should be fairly different, with more yeasty characteristics.

Sierra Nevada Pale is a ground breaking brew and the benchmark of all pales.

It certainly isn't as "crisp" as SN. I drank it after I drank the Barleywine Ale so it didn't taste very "yeasty" at the time.

Hottest 100 australian beers is on this thursday if anyone has been following it in previous years... its a beer version of the triple j music thing...

pirate life was the big mover last year, with staples like little Creatures, feral and Stone and wood always rating highly.

This year i think the big one will be balters xpa... its a good beer but it also helps when you can get good sales due to the people behind the beer.

On Fleek imperial stout 13%




It tastes ok -it is like a chicolate coffee syrup that has been filtered through an ash tray. Also feel warm inside like it is a brandy or something.

Loads I haven't tried here but I must say the number 1 rated one here is sensational.

http://www.executivestyle.com.au/gabs-announce-their-hottest-100-australian-craft-beers-of-2016-gtyyae

The stone and wood that won is not a worthy winner. Its not that great.
 Though i like the top 100 there are some flaws. Basically you have to look at distribution, stone and wood much like feral, Little Creatures, James squires and matilda bay all have nationwide distribution where the vast majority don't. Distribution and having an easy drinking beer will almost always give you a good advantage. Take into account 4 pines, they have always done exceptionally well but did drop off this year... i would says their beers are some of the worst i have tried, but i do think their slide is down to the average beer drinker chasing something a bit more exclusive. 


Any of the pirate lifes would have been worthy amongst probably 15 others. 

But it does go to show that the small brewers can compete with the big ones. 

Agree number one is excellent - Pacific Ale.

However, I just visited the Stone and Wood Brewery a few days ago. We would have 60 beers in Tassie, at least, better than any other Stone and Wood beer.

I'm trying to get a mate of mine with deep pockets in Byron to set up a partnership with a Tassie craft brewery to brew in NNSW , because there are few other craft breweries in the at area. S&W have a monopoly.

Also, from tasting  about 25 other beers, on that 1-100 list, I'd only give Beechworth Pale Ale and Wild Yak ( I know Yak/Matilda Bay are owned by a big company, but Wild Yak is very good) a ranking in the top 100.

Koziusko, 4 Pines, Gage Rd, White Rabbit, James Squire,  Yenda, and to a lesser extent Holgate, are blown away by many other Aussie beers I've had, particularly from Tassie. I can also add Vale Pale Ale, Knappsteins, Exit, Fortitude, and recently the  Venom Golden Ale from Victoria. 

Of course  all this is very subjective, but I'd highly recommend Stone and Wood Pacific Ale to anyone.